Jesus
  Appears to His Discipless

   Matthew 28.16-20

   Good News Translation (GNT)

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16  The eleven disciples went to the hill in Galilee
   where Jesus had told them to go.
17  When they saw him, they worshiped him,
   even though some of them doubted.
18  Jesus drew near and said to them,
   "I have been given all authority in heaven and
   on earth.
19  Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make
   them my disciples: baptise them in the name
   of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
20  and teach them to obey everything I have
   commanded you. And I will be with you
   always, to the end of the age."

*************************

   Commentary taken from
   'The Applied New Testament Commentary'
   (Kingsway)

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

  Matthew 28.16-20

The Great Commission
When the disciples learned from the women that Jesus had risen, they did not immediately go to Galilee. Jesus appeared to them at least twice.

Only after that did the eleven disciples depart for the mountain in Galilee where Jesus had told them to go.

But some doubted.
These doubters were probably other disciples and followers of Jesus who had not yet seen him since His death and resurrection. Then Jesus came to them, and He said one of the most amazing things ever spoken:

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."

No ordinary man could ever have said that.
Only God's own Son could make such a statement.

In the beginning, before He came to earth, all the authority in heaven and earth belonged to Jesus. Jesus gave up His authority temporarily while He was here on earth.

Now, after His resurrection, He received it back again.

Because Jesus has all authority -
He told His followers to make disciples of all nations.

The Greek word for nation that Matthew uses means any group of people of similar culture and outlook. Such groups today are called "people groups'

Within any country, there can be many of these "nations," or "people groups." Because Jesus is Lord of the universe, we must go and establish His rule in every corner of the earth.

He told us not only to teach and preach, but to make disciples. In fact, in verses 18-20, the main verb in the original Greek text is the verb make.

The other verbs - baptising and teaching - are auxiliary verbs.
From this we can understand that the most important element in this "Great Commission" is the making of disciples.

We must baptise new disciples in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. God is triune. He has three forms or modes of existence.

To be baptised in His name means to belong to Him. When we are baptised in His name, we say to the world: "I am God's. I belong to Jesus".

Jesus told His disciples to go to all nations.
At first, however, they continued to work mainly among the Jews. It took them time to realise that the church really was to be established among all nations, all peoples.

God had to send Peter a special vision before he would agree to preach in a Gentile's house. But step by step, they spread the Gospel into all the world.

The main job of a disciple is to obey.
This "Great Commission" was given not only to the eleven disciples but to every follower of Jesus right down to the present time.

Jesus told those first eleven disciples to teach all the new disciples they made to obey everything I have commanded you - and that, of course, includes the Great Commission itself.

Every Christian must obey Jesus' command to make disciples of all nations.

Finally, Jesus gave them a promise:
"I will be with you always."

Earlier Jesus had said to His disciples:
"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Because I live, you also will live.

Jesus is not only with us; He is also in us.
His Holy Spirit lives in us. His Holy Spirit gives us the power to be His disciples, to be His witnesses.

If Jesus is in us, His authority is also in us.
As we go out into the world, Jesus goes with us also; we shall never be alone.

"Surely I will be with you always,
to the very end of the age."

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